2017 NCAA Tournament: 10 mid-majors that deserve at-large bids

By Taylor Sturm | Mar 1, 2017

Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders head coach Kermit Davis looks on during the second half of the second round against the Syracuse Orange in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 21, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Illinois State Redbirds forward MiKyle McIntosh (11) dribbles the ball past the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois State Redbirds

In the Missouri Valley Conference, every team takes a backseat nationally to the Wichita State Shockers. However, the MVC is quickly proving that they are a talented league that deserves to have more than one team in the Big Dance.

This season, that second team is the Illinois State Redbirds. With an impressive RPI in the low 30s, Illinois State split the regular season home-and-home with the Shockers and finished the season tied with Wichita State atop the MVC standings.

This team is good, and they are more than capable of knocking off a Power 5 team in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. But will they get that chance if Wichita State wins the conference tournament?

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